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WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
P.O. 313
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
OUTLINE • Key Terms • Before You Start Reading • Structure • Methodologies • How to “Read” StaHsHcs • Applying Our Knowledge
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
I: KEY TERMS • Dependent variable: the outcome that the research explains (Y)
• Independent variable: the factors that the researcher thinks explain the observed outcome (X)
• Hypothesis: A specific statement of what the researcher thinks will happen to the DV if the IV is changed
• Regression: A staHsHcal tool that helps us determine the relaHonship between X and Y (what happens to Y if X changes incrementally)
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
II: BEFORE YOU START READING • Note the journal the arHcle appears in • Determine the purpose/goal of the arHcle – Htle – sub-‐Htle and headings – abstract
• Determine level of applicability to your interests
• Hone your skepHcism!
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
III: STRUCTURE • Abstract (200-‐300 words) • IntroducHon/Research QuesHon • Literature Review • Hypotheses • Research design/methodology • Results • Conclusion
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
Abstract • 200-‐300 words • Precis/summary of the piece • Should present research quesHon, results and conclusion with brevity and efficiency; reading the abstract is a good way to “filter out” arHcles that won’t be relevant to your needs
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
IntroducHon/Research QuesHon • What is the topic(s) of interest? • Is this topic theore'cal or empirical? • Why should we care? Research quesHon should be situated in a larger poliHcal/theoreHcal context
• Is the quesHon causal or descrip've? – Descrip've: x is associated/correlated with y; what are observable paeerns?
– Causal: x causes y (the holy grail of social science research); what causes a specific poliHcal phenomenon?
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
Lit Review • What is the general scholarly consensus of the research quesHon?
• Will never be a complete exposiHon of previous work, nor should it be
• What is the added value or contribu'on of the project? (Review should demonstrate the gaps in previous scholarship and, more specifically, what gap the project intends to fill)
• Great place to mine for addiHonal informaHon re: your own research topics!
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
Hypothesis/Hypotheses (the what) • What does the author expect to find? • Hypotheses will usually be predic've—in other words, what kind of effect will a change in X have on Y, if any?
• Hypotheses will usually be specific, disHnguishing them from more open-‐ended research quesHons
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
Research Design/Methodology (the how) • How has the author gone about finding the answer to her
research quesHon/tesHng her hypothesis? • Research-‐design secHon should answer the following
quesHons: – What is the nature of the available data (or of the research quesHon)?
– How will this data (or the quesHon) be analyzed? – Why is this design preferable to all other possible designs? – What are the strengths and weaknesses of this design? – What are the parHculars (control variables, sample size, simulaHon details, etc)?
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
Results/Analysis • What are the findings? • Has the hypothesis been confirmed by the evidence? • What do these results tell us about the larger research quesHon?
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
Conclusion • Should summarize the findings and reiterate why they are significant
• What are the implica'ons for future research? What contribuHons has this project made and what work sHll needs to be done? (What other papers will you seek out to answer the lingering quesHons/concerns?)
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
IV: RESEARCH DESIGNS/METHODOLOGIES • Research papers can employ one or more of certain modes of analysis to test a hypothesis and answer a research quesHon
• Designs can be qualita've or quan'ta've • Examples: – Case studies (small or large n) – Field research/ethnography – Surveys (interviews, focus groups) – Regression of observaHonal data – Experiments
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
V: HOW TO “READ” STATISTICS • Regression: A staHsHcal tool that helps us determine the
relaHonship between X and Y (what happens to Y if X changes incrementally)
• Different kinds of regression based on the nature of the data (conHnuous, binary, categorical)
• PosiHve and negaHve relaHonships between variables • A regression also tells us the sta's'cal significance of a
relaHonship between variables – a relaHonship is significant if there is less than a 5% chance that the
observed relaHonship was the result of random chance
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
Variables Model I Model II Model III Model IV
Age .02*** (.00)
.02*** (.00)
.01 (.01)
.00 (.01)
Black -‐1.54*** (.15)
-‐1.81*** (.19)
-‐.98*** (.28)
-‐.65* (.28)
Female .11 (.11)
.15 (.12)
-‐.08 (.18)
-‐.02 (.18)
Income .04 (.05)
.04 (.05)
.03 (.05)
Constant 3.36*** (.17)
4.04*** (.43)
3.70*** (.76)
.95 (.93)
N 1,424 1,208 556 532
Adj. R2 .10 .11 .18 .25
Table 2.1 PredicHng Support for Crime Control over Due Process
***p<.001, **p<.01, *p<.05, #p<.10
coefficient
standard error
sample size
one measure of the explanatory power of the model
measure of staOsOcal significance
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
VI: APPLYING OUR KNOWLEDGE • Remember: – The burden of proof is on the author(s); her job is to convince you, using the most credible evidence possible, that she is right
– There is no such thing as a flawless research design – Uncertainty is the nature of all branches of science, but parHcularly social sciences—always make sure you understand the problems/biases of the design. (This will someHmes be buried in the Appendices!) Are the results sHll convincing?
WORKSHOP I: How to Read a Research Paper
VI: APPLYING OUR KNOWLEDGE • Devah Pager, “The Mark of a Criminal Record” (American Journal of Sociology 108.5, March 2003)
• Amy Lerman, “The Rights of the Accused” in Public Opinion and Cons'tu'onal Controversy (Oxford University Press, 2008)